Tuesday, March 27, 2012

MUMBAI: A Pakistani minister has claimed that 100 non-Muslim women, predominantly Hindu, have been forced to convert to Islam in the country in recent months.

Minister for National Harmony Akram Masih Gill, a Christian, said that if true, the practice went counter to all things established by Islam as the faith prohibits forced conversion.

“We will seek a religious decree from the Council of Islamic Ideology and a ruling by the Federal Shariah Court on the issue before introducing the required law,” Gill told The Express Tribune newspaper.

The draft of the proposed law is likely to be tabled in Parliament after the passage of the budget in June.

Gill said he was unsure about the exact number of forced conversions in the absence of accurate data, but believed that the “figure of such cases is about 100″.

But journalists in Pakistan say that many of the conversions are likely do to religious restrictions on marriage.

Kamal Javaid, a local reporter in Karachi, told Bikyamasr.com that “many of the women I have spoken with say they found love and that their families were against the marriage to a Muslim man, so they converted and ran off with him.

“This is not to say that all are this way, but we must always be weary of groups pointing to a large number like this without facts being investigated.”

Parliamentarians from minority communities have recommended that the federal government introduce legislation to check forced conversions, he said.

The minister’s remarks came against the backdrop of an order issued by the Supreme Court, directing authorities in southern Sindh province to produce three Hindu women, who were allegedly forcibly converted, in court on March 26.

Backing Javaid’s assertion, however, two of the women – Rinkle Kumari and Lata Kumari – have claimed in lower courts that they voluntarily converted to Islam and married Muslim men.

The issue of conversion has been a tenuous topic in recent months in Pakistan after reports of religiously induced violence and crimes have become more commonplace.

Mipas claims that as a result of the slow pace of reforms, Indian voters have become disillusioned with the BN government.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Indians Progressive Association (Mipas) claimed today its “survey” indicated dwindling support for the Barisan Nasional from the Indian voters.

Its secretary-general, S Barathidasan, said that the slow pace of reforms has left many Indian voters disillusioned, contrary to popular belief that they are now flocking to the BN camp.

“It is not true that the ‘wind’ is blowing towards BN… the people still do not have full confidence and trust in the BN government, as many issues have not been settled,” he said in a statement.

Among the many unresolved issues that have corroded Indian support for the BN is the prolonged Lynas controversy.

Barathidasan cited the controversy over the setting up of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lynas as an example.

Opposition leaders have refused to be part of the panel after they claimed that the composition of the committee was unfair as it would not give fair representation to stakeholders who oppose the construction of the rare earth refinery in Kuantan.

They claimed that the PSC was just a public relations exercise, adding that the government has already made up its mind to allow the Australian mining giant to operate here despite concerns of radioactive pollution.

Barathidasan also said the government has failed to solve longstanding issues concerning the Indian community.

He claimed that discriminatory policies are still in practice: employment in the public sector among Indians is still low at 3.2% and many are still without proper identification documents despite living here for generations.

Eyewash

Education is also another major problem plaguing the country’s poorest voters.

While Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had announced the awarding of full scholarship to 100 Indian students with first-class degrees in public universities, the low number of Indian admission into them is still pitiful.

“How many Indian students are there in public universities? It could be fewer than 100. This full scholarship is just an eyewash… it is sandiwara politics [political gimmick] of the BN government,” Barathidasan said.

He added that the discrimination against the Indians is also reflected in the BN’s foreign policy.

Barathidasan charged that Malaysia, being a Muslim majority country, has been supportive of the Palestinian cause but abstained in voting on a United Nations resolution condemning ethnic cleansing of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

He claimed that sucha policy has alienated Indian support although Mipas gave no details of its survey.

Pundits claimed that Indian support has returned to BN as reflected in polling data collected from the majority of the by-elections held since the 2008 general elections, indicating that Najib’s intensified charm offensive on the Indian voters has been effective.

In another development, an MIC insider urged Mipas to reveal the findings of their so-called survey.

“We highly doubt if they had done any surveys at all. They are just a small outfit trying to show that they are still relevant in today’s politicis…perhaps they want to hoodwink Pakatan into giving them seats for the GE,” said the inside.

A court decision over the protracted legal tussle involving the former trustees of the Bukit Gasing Sivan temple is to be known in May.

PETALING JAYA: Politics almost always rears its ugly head wherever there is money and a ready audience and that includes religious institutions.

The Bukit Gasing Sivan Temple with its spectacular view of Kuala Lumpur is no different.

The temple is mired in controversy and has drawn not only the ire of devotees who once enjoyed its serenity but also hungry politicians keen on championing a “just” cause in whatever form it takes.

In the ring of contentious issues is the ongoing legal tussle between the temple trustees and a new committee led by M Maharathan, who allegedly hijacked the temple administration and forced open the shrine.

The temple which was under renovation was “closed” three years ago after the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) declared that the land on which the temple was located was unsafe.

But since the protracted legal tussle began, all renovation works have progressively come to a full halt. The case is up for decision in May.

While the main structures of the temple have been boarded up, the shrine itself is open to devotees.

But now of greater concern to some devotees is the undisclosed properties belonging to the temple.

Speaking to FMT, a temple devotee, who declined to be named, said the former trustees are refusing to reveal details of the assets belonging to the temple.

According to the devotee, the temple was built during the British era by the residents living in and around Petaling Jaya.

“The temple became famous due to special prayers and the devotees around the Klang Valley very often visited the temple and this caused politicians to encircle the temple,” he said.

Report lodged with MACC

He claimed that in 2006, the former trustees bought the temple for RM60,000 from its caretaker.

“As far I know, this is the first temple that has been bought with the purpose of administration.

“Why were the trustees willing to pay RM60,000 to buy the temple? he asked.

The devotee claimed that following the purchase, an official committee was formed and former MIC president S Samy Vellu’s wife, Indrani, became the president.

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has obviously been trying to
win the Indian Malaysian community’s votes ahead of the impending
general election. The list of government initiatives for the Indian
community in the recent months has been long. These initiatives range
from funding new school blocks to increasing allocated seats for Indian matriculation students; the approval of myKad for over 4,000 Indian Malaysians to the building of a crematorium in Kapar; and recently the promise of 100 scholarships for top Indian Malaysian students.Najib
has asked Indian Malaysians to walk with him because the Barisan
Nasional (BN) has delivered its promises to the community. He has asked
them to partner the government in the spirit of “nambikei”, or trust, to bring Malaysia to greater heights.
Has Najib really addressed the issues which affect Indian Malaysians
by making good on these promises? And what can we expect the community
to do come the elections?TNG: Is it true that
Najib has not let the Indian Malaysian community down? Do the government
measures and initiatives thus far warrant more Indian Malaysian support
for BN? And the million dollar question — will these measures work to
win the BN support from Indian Malaysians in the elections?

Najib is trying to win the Indian Malaysian community's votes

The marginalisation that Indian Malaysians face in general is
structural. They are stuck at the bottom of society because of poverty,
crime, police violence and social ills. A Tamil friend compared her
community to the blacks in the US.
Since coming into power and making the offers he’s made, can we say
that Najib has not let the Indian Malaysian community down? One would
need to ask if the structural challenges the community faces have been
overcome. On the surface, Najib’s “Indian-specific” solutions may have
done the job. But in reality, this may not be the case for two reasons.
First, some solutions are too limited compared to the scale of the
problem. For example, thousands of Indian Malaysian students drop out of
school every year. One hundred scholarships for top Indian Malaysian
students, while commendable, is not going to help much. What we need is
full support for Tamil schools especially those in rural areas. Now,
what has Najib offered to end the plight of Tamil school kids
nationwide?
Second, some problems are not ethnic in nature. Poverty amongst the
Indian Malaysian working class and rising crimes amongst the youth are
caused by, amongst others, the absence of minimum wage. How can you
solve Indian Malaysian problems without solving the Malaysian problem?
Now, in that sense, what has Najib done to win the trust of the hardcore
poor?How have Indian Malaysians historically voted? How crucial
was their vote in the last election and how crucial will it be in the
next election?
If the electoral performance of MIC can be an indicator, Indian
Malaysians were staunch BN supporters from 1974 to 2004. They do not
constitute a majority in any parliamentary or state constituency partly
because they are not highly concentrated in any one area and partly
because gerrymandering works against them.
Local elections would have ensured the emergence of some
Indian-majority wards but the champions of Indian interests in both BN
and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have not shown much interest in this. Indian
Malaysians, however, constitute a significant number in many
constituencies. In Selangor for example, based on the 2011 electoral
rolls, they make up at least 20% in 12 out of 56 state constituencies.

Before 2008, Indian Malaysians strongly supported the BN but became
one of the communities which benefited the least. In 2008, thanks to Hindraf, they rose up against the BN and that ushered in a whole series of friendly gestures from Najib.
In the next general election, Indian Malaysian voters will be the
determining factor for whether BN secures a two-third majority or even a
victory. Will they vote as they did pre-2008 or as in 2008? That will
depend on how contented they feel about Najib’s offers so far. If they
want more, they would vote against the BN.How relevant is the MIC
in winning the community’s vote? At the last general election, they
only managed to capture three out of their nine parliamentary seats and
had their president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu voted out as well.
I believe that MIC is increasingly irrelevant for two reasons. First,
the PR parties, including PAS, are showing that so-called Indian
interests can be championed by non-Indian parties and by non-Indian
politicians.

Ramasamy (source: dapmalaysia.org)

Second, even if you return to the old thinking that you need some
powerful Indian Malaysians high up in the government hierarchy, can MIC
do better than Penang’s Deputy Chief Minster II, the DAP’s Dr P Ramasamy? While the in-fighting between DAP chairperson Karpal Singh and Ramasamy is a turn-off, it merely demonstrates that Ramasamy’s position is a powerful one in dispensing patronage.
Worse still for MIC, even if it has recovered slightly from its
lowest point in 2008, a rise in Indian Malaysian support is no guarantee
for victory. Most of their contested seats are not safe since Chinese
Malaysian voters constitute a substantial minority and their rejection
of BN and Umno is growing stronger by the day.

Rosmah Mansor (source: pmo.gov.my)

When even the more powerful MCA
is viewed with disdain, there is nothing much MIC can do to win Chinese
Malaysian votes. While Malay Malaysian voters are said to have returned
significantly to Umno’s fold, there is no guarantee that this would be
strong enough to rescue the MIC candidates. Many Malay grassroots voters
are incensed with cowgate and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor‘s lifestyle. They may just vote against BN if a pro-opposition “wind” emerges.How relevant is race-based politics as a whole in Malaysia?
Can parties avoid having to woo specific ethnic communities as has been
done in the past and continues to be done today?Race-based politics will stay as long as the state
remains centralised. Centralisation makes the control of the state a big
prize, making every community count its gains and losses all the time.
In this sense, the majority community which has the most to lose may be
the likeliest to feel under siege. On the other hand, marginalised
minorities may also feel under siege because of their relatively smaller
size.

To get everyone away from ethnic politics, we do not need political
unity where all citizens share the same political preferences — this
would be either a myth or a disaster. Instead, we need new divisions.
For example, new divisions along class lines may help poor Indian
Malaysians see their common fate with poor Malay and Chinese Malaysians,
and poor Sarawakians and Sabahans. They may see that they have more in
common with other poor Malaysians than with rich Indians who may not
even speak the same language or practise the same lifestyle. For that to
happen, we would need decentralisation.
When there are many games i.e. many platforms for elections, and many
more prizes i.e. in the form of more elected positions in the political
system, we would be more daring in trying out new ideas, new identities
and new configurations of interests. And having local elections can be a
start because local elections would usher in more diverse political
articulations and more pragmatism.

MARCH 26 — The Malaysian Indians Progressive Association (MIPAS) has done surveys, studies, gained information and feedback from the rakyat showing that it is not true that the rakyat’s support for Barisan Nasional (BN) is peaking based on the party’s record of fulfilling its promises, as claimed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

MIPAS feels that it is not true that “big winds” are blowing towards BN.

The rakyat still does not have confident and full trust in the BN government as many issues have still not been fulfilled.

An example is the Lynas issue. The Parlimentary Select Committee (PSC) should investigate and study the plant’s safety standards. It should be fair and hear the concerns of the people in Kuantan. But it has failed!

Another example is the anger and frustration of the Chinese community over education. A rally was organised by the United Chinese School Committees Association (Dong Zong) over the problems faced by Chinese educationists over four decades and regarding the transfer of non-Chinese-speaking teachers to Chinese schools. The BN government has failed to meet Dong Zong’s demands.

MIPAS also believes the BN has failed the Indian community. Najib’s Nambika (trust) has not fulfilled their needs as many of them are still without MyCards, birth certificates. Statistics show Indians only comprise 3.2 per cent of employees in the government sector. It should be increased to seven per cent.

Recently the PM announced that the government would give full scholarships to the top 100 students from the Indian community who graduate with first-class honours from public universities. How many Indian students are there in public universities? And only the top 100 get full scholarships? It’s just an eyewash!

Our country has been independent for 54years now but we still have race or ethnic division/segregation. Every vote is equal but when it comes to policy and implementation it is not equal. For example, the BN government asks Indians to vote BN but whenever there is an issue over appropriation of estate land (e.g. Bukit Jalil Estate) the government says it cannot do anything because it is private land.

Malaysia so keen to support and help the Palestine struggle but when it comes to the ethnic cleansing of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the BN government abstained from voting against Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council in a resolution mooted by the US. The BN government is against any violation of human rights in Palestine, South Africa, Somalia, South Thailand and many Islamic countries. But why when it comes to Sri Lanka the BN government keeps quiet?

MIPAS believes BN can expect an easy victory only in Johor, Malacca and Pahang in the 13th general election.

According
to him, 1,315 racial disputes were recorded in 2007 by the police while
only 912 similar cases were reported last year.

Koh said increasing tolerance and maturity had helped reduce discontent.

“Our
community continues to mature annually although there are
still misunderstandings among races. At the grassroots level, the people
have managed to settle their disputes without intervention from the
police,” he said after officiating a seminar for accredited community
mediators.

Koh
said the 1Malaysia vision and spirit that have been inculcated in
society also helped different races to understand one
another’s culture.

“This
vision promotes values such as tolerance and respect for our community
which have been embraced by everyone and practised in their daily
affairs,” he said.

In
addition, Koh said the certified mediators that took part in the
seminar may have contributed to the reduced number of disputes in their
community.

Koh
said mediation is important to resolve unresolved conflicts related to
the community. “Mediation is a process which aims to resolve a conflict.
This may involve two parties from the same race or different social
status. The act of mediation allows conflict to be solved quickly,” he
said.

“Mediation
also allows problems to be solved before they are made known to
the public,” he said, adding that 220 participants of the seminars have
been officially certified as mediators since 2009.

“Previously,
these officials and individuals resolved community matters on their
own accord. They are the unsung heroes and as such, we recognise them
for their efforts.”Koh admitted there are not enough mediators in the
country.

“There
are currently only less than 500 certified mediators registered,” he
said, adding that he hopes to increase the number within the year.

“Support
to help mediators act as a catalyst to resolve conflicts at the
community level must be given by relevant government officials
and authorities."

PUTRAJAYA, March 26 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak urged all
officers of the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry and its
agencies to help explain government policies, including 1Malaysia, to
the people.

The prime minister said this was important to prevent the public from
being confused by the opposition's propaganda and lies about government
policies.

Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim
said this was stated by the prime minister when he met with officers and
staff of the ministry.

In this regard, Rais said his ministry would be printing and
distributing 50,000 booklets containing information on current issues to
avoid the public from being influenced by the opposition's twisting of
facts.

He said among the issues featured would be the Lunas rare earth plant
project in Gebeng, Pahang, listing of Felda Global Ventures Holdings
(FGVH) and the Malaysia Airlines-AirAsia share swap.

The other issues are the National Feedlot Corporation, price increase of
goods, corruption, credibility and integrity of leaders, and the
demands made by the United Chinese School Committees Association of
Malaysia (Dong Jiao Zong).

"The booklet will contain scientific, economic and social facts that can
be easily understood by the public," he told reporters, here, Monday.

Rais said copies of the booklet would be given out to, among others,
officers and staff of the Information Department, Malaysian National
News Agency (Bernama), Special Affairs Department (JASA) and Radio
Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) as guideline.

"We will get ready the booklets as soon as possible for distribution to the urban and rural areas," he added.